The last car with an internal combustion engine rolled off the assembly line at the Volkswagen plant in Zwickau on Friday (June 26, 2020). The white Golf Variant ends the era of traditional cars after 116 years.
The battery-electric VW ID.3 follows it and will establish a new era. “From now on, the Zwickau location will be all about electromobility,” said Reinhard de Vries, Managing Director Technology and Logistics at Volkswagen Sachsen. The electricity car is expected to hit the market in most European countries in the second week of September after delays in software equipment.
Modification to a second assembly line for electric cars
The conversion should begin on Monday (June 29, 2020) so that a second assembly line for electric cars will be available by the end of the year. Overall, the changeover costs VW 1.2 billion euros here. From 2021, two Audis, another VW and a Seat will be built as e-cars. When the two lines are fully utilized, 330,000 vehicles are to be finished each year – more than in times of internal combustion. The previous record from 2015 is 301,000 cars.
Zwickau is the first in a series of VW factories that switch completely to e-production. In Germany, Emden and Hanover will follow in the coming years, and alternative drives will also be ramped up in China and the USA. In 2025, every fifth vehicle manufactured in the group is to have an electric motor, corresponding to a number of 2.5 million. The total investment will amount to 33 billion euros by 2024, of which a third will be for the VW main brand cars. The start of the electric SUV VW ID.4 is also planned for 2020.
The first Horch was built for the museum
Zwickau’s tradition as the cradle of automotive engineering started in 1904 with August Horch. In addition to Horch, she also produced Audi and later the Trabant. One of the very first cars from Zwickau is now in the museum. Car enthusiasts faithfully rebuilt the Horch 14-17 PS Tonneau – the first car produced in Zwickau. From July 11th it can be seen in the Saxon State Exhibition, which is dedicated to the industrial culture of the Free State until the end of the year.
(fpi)
– .
